Microlearning Module 7 - Financing for Social Enterprises
Topic outline
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Considering that Social Enterprises (SEs) strive to create a positive social impact while ensuring financial sustainability, obtaining sufficient and appropriate financial resources is more demanding for SEs than for traditional enterprises.
This Microlearning Module provides information on available financing options for SEs with focus on crowdfunding and presents overview of the three main financial statements and standard structure of a traditional business plan, as well as public procurement opportunities. This topic also facilitates understanding of social impact investors and how SEs can improve chances of securing investment.
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This unit provides basic information about financing options for Social Enterprises (SEs) and typical characteristics of each financial instrument. Having in mind that crowdfunding emerged recently, this lecture explains it not only as instrument for raising capital but also as mean that offers a range of additional advantages that traditional financing methods often cannot provide. Although there are different types of crowdfunding, steps for successful crowdfunding campaign are common and include planning, pre-launch preparation, launching and managing campaign and post-campaign activities.
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This unit provides basic information on the concept of social investment and areas that emerged as focal points for social impact investors. Key principles of the social impact investment are explained. Having in mind numerous challenges in impact measurement and management, the social impact management cycle, and several methodologies to measure social impact have been developed.
Although social investors aspire to create social impact, they are also profit oriented, so Social Enterprises (SEs) must prepare sound business plan, attain investment readiness, and avoid common mistakes in approaching social investors.
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This unit provides an overview of the three main financial statements: income statement, balance sheet and statement of cash flows. It explains characteristics of good financial statements and steps for their creation. This lesson outlines importance of financial statements for internal and external users.
Having in mind that investors also use business plan of the Social Enterprise (SEs) as a tool for SE assessment, standard structure of a traditional business plan is presented, with focus on business plan for social impact investors.
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This unit provides basic information on the possibilities of financing SEs by increasing their participation in public procurement procedures, both at the national and EU level. The focus is on the basics of public procurement and how SEs can participate in public tenders, on understanding the difference between national and Europian Union (EU) procurement rules, and how to find and apply for public procurement opportunities at national and EU level.
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